I know who goes before me.

I know who stands beside.

The God of angel armies is always by my side.

Singing this one Sunday induced a swell of emotion. It brought me back to our 3 1/2 month homeless trek across the country. I was reminded once again of how the Lord was ever so faithful to provide our daily needs, protect us from dangers, sustain my 7 year old vehicle from any kind of mechanical breakdown and give us countless joys in the midst of a terribly stressful and uncertain time.

Singing at the top of my lungs, thankful that no one sits in front of us to hear the “music” coming from me, I looked at my children.  They were so young and so oblivious. The youngest was 2 when we began our trek and the oldest only 7.  Clueless, in the best way possible.  My dear, innocent children did not and could not comprehend all that was taking place.

They had no clue of all that was transpiring. They could not possibly have fully grasped the gravity of our circumstances, the depth of uncertainty, nor the countless ways the Lord was our Protector, Provider and Strong tower.

Then I realized.

I still don’t fully grasp it either.

As much as my children are and were children to me, so am I to the Lord — maybe even moreso.

Sure, I was at the helm from an earthly perspective. I was driving the car. I was setting up places to stay.  I was deciding north or south or east or west. I chose where we stopped and when. In hindsight, I can even see more of where the Lord was likely protecting us from harm (like our encounter with the random stranger in the secluded woods asking alarming questions — see page 136 )

But this God of angel armies is always working, and usually in ways I cannot see.  He functions in the spiritual realm, behind the curtain of what is physical and visible. He is always at work, always protecting, always providing, always acting for the good of His children.

While I may have a broader view of all that the Lord did for us during that time, my view is still minute. My understanding is still miniscule. My perspective rests in the mundane compared to the vastness of the Lord’s work and care for us.

Even now, as I sit at this computer, in my own home, less than 3 years after being functionally homeless to owning my own piece of property, I can see some of what the Lord has been doing over the last few years, but am unaware of all the details, blind to all the little providences that has enabled our current state of being.

What about you?

If you are a child of the King, do you fail to recognize God’s goodness to you, regardless of any difficulty you may now face?

And are you aware that no matter how much you are aware, you are still blinded to the extent to which He is moving and acting on your behalf?

It is true that they don’t fully understand…but neither to I.